* Army rescue 386 captives from Sambisa forest
• GOC visits, lauds troops for killing 21 terrorists
Bandits, yesterday, invaded Dakwa, DeiDei area, a suburb along the Zuba/Suleja road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and kidnapped four persons and left many others injured.
Meanwhile, troops have rescued about 386 persons, mostly women and children abducted about 10 years ago, from the Sambisa forest. Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Brig-Gen Abubakar Haruna, paid a morale-boosting visit to the troops fighting Boko Haram in Sambisa Forest, hailing them for killing 21 Boko Haram terrorists, destroying their camps and rescuing the victims.
A witness, who chose to remain anonymous, told newsmen that the bandits attacked from Rufaida Yougout in Dakwa, moving towards Buy filling station and down to Hasmos School.
The incursion sparked a serious gun battle between vigilante operatives and the bandits, culminating in the abduction of four persons.
“As of 9.00 a.m. on Sunday, there is a significant military presence and other senior police officers in Dakwa, assessing what happened during the night,” the witness reported. “We did our best to alert the necessary security forces, but all efforts could not prevent the kidnapping.”
Alice Jacob, a resident, recounted hearing intense gunfire but was too frightened to leave her home. She noted that the shootout lasted for nearly 30 minutes.
Another resident, Bala Usman, confirmed the incident and appealed to the government to enhance security measures to protect the life and property of the residents. He urged other residents to maintain communication with security authorities when necessary.
HARUNA, while briefing journalists in Konduga Local Council, Borno State, yesterday, said the objective of the rescue operation was to evict remnants of terrorists from Sambisa forest and give those willing to surrender the opportunity to do so. Haruna was in the council to welcome troops returning from a 10-day ‘Operation Desert Sanity III’.
“With this operation, we envisage many of them will surrender as they have started.
“We also rescued some civilians; as of yesterday, we rescued 386, and I am sure the number will increase by today.”
The GOC commended the operatives for their level of professionalism during the operation while urging them to sustain the tempo. He added: “Our Special Forces, the troops of 21 Armoured Brigade, the Civilian JTF, and the Hybrid Forces have all done very well. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is highly pleased with your performance. Gentlemen, you have done your bit. You have sacrificed yourselves to ensure that peace and normalcy return to the North East. This is a wonderful outing and we are happy.
“We have to stop whatever we are doing and come here to let you know that we are with you always; to know what you are doing, so that we can feel what you people are going through.”
He urged them to do more to hasten the defeat of insurgency.
